Bouncing Around the TARDIS and Ddoing Stuff
by Basmathgirl
Summary: The TARDIS decides to meddle with the status quo, making the Doctor and Donna see each other in a different way, in different garb.
1. Chapter 1

**Warning:** Contains nudity and one mild swear word.

**Summary:** Donna has an accident in the bath. This was written in response to a prompt request from louiecat68.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything in this story except maybe the bubble bath, i.e. I do not own Doctor Who.

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**Chapter 1 - Bathtime Blues**

It started as a typical day really, a bit of civil unrest, chased by people with pointy sticks, imprisoned in a creepy dungeon, pulled in front of a maniacal leader, a bit of Doctor babble, and then home in time for tea. Yeah, very typical now she thought about it. She just wished that dungeon hadn't been so, well, creepy. It had been full of gunk-squirting creepy-crawlies that had no sense of politeness; they hadn't kept their gunkiness to themselves at all! As she looked down at herself, she could see the evidence all over herself. It didn't help that she could see the evidence all over the Doctor too.

Yep, it was a definite; they needed a shower. Not together! No, no, no, no! Where had that thought come from? No, separate showers in their separate en suite bathrooms. All very civilised, thank you very much!

So they had gone their separate ways, promising to meet up for dinner in the kitchen in an hour's time. Donna would normally have opted for a refreshing shower but her body was aching to be soaked in some lovely bubbles smelling of lavender and jasmine.

The TARDIS had very kindly provided her with the most gorgeous smelling bubble bath she had ever had. It was intoxicating and invigorating at the same time. It also provided the most wonderful bubbles. Donna thanked the TARDIS, and lay there quite happily building bubble landscapes and the bubble equivalent of snowmen. That was until she noticed something odd about the hot tap as it kept dipping forward, as if the mounting was dodgy. Donna sat up to inspect the base of the tap, but it seemed perfectly fine. "What's going on, old girl?" Donna asked the TARDIS, but there was no answering hum, so she assumed she was imagining it. She lay back down again, but the tap dipped further forward, threatening to fall in to the water. Donna sighed angrily and used her big toe to push the tap back into position. There was a weird sort of crack sound and then the tap sat stock-still. 'Good' thought Donna, 'I've sorted the blighter out!' and went to pull her foot back down.

Only her foot didn't come down. Her toe stayed stuck. Donna pulled on her toe and let out a yelp of pain! What the hell was going on? She tried to sit up to investigate her toe but she slipped before she could grab the edge of the bath, disappearing under the suds, then emerging again in a spluttering coughing fit. That would look good on her death certificate, wouldn't it, death by killer tap! 'I'm not having this' thought Donna, as she tried to wrench her toe away from the offending tap. The resultant scream underlined the fact that she had almost ripped the top of her toe off. She could have cried with the pain. In fact she did; loud sobs that she hoped were hidden within the walls of her bathroom. Now how the heck was she going to get out of this one?

The Doctor had finished showering and was gelling his hair when he felt the alarm signal from the TARDIS. She was telling him that Donna had had some sort of accident when he heard the first yelp of pain and an awful lot of splashing about. He had just put on his dressing gown when he heard the second painful scream, and he rushed into Donna's bedroom, knocking on her bathroom door.

"Donna! Donna, are you all right? Can I come in?" but the only sound he heard in reply was loud sobbing. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the handle of the bathroom door and stepped in.

There was an immediate shriek of "What the hell are you doing?" followed by a flurry of hands as Donna desperately tried to cover her modesty.

The Doctor put one hand over his eyes and held the other one out in what he hoped was a placating manner. "I heard screams! Are you hurt? What happened?" he tried not to look but unfortunately there were gaps between his fingers that he had no control over.

"My toe! I've hurt my toe! It's stuck in the tap." She tried not to cry, but the relief of possible rescue was too much "Can you… can you pass me that towel behind you?"

"Oh, right. Hang on." He fumbled behind him and grabbed the first piece of towelling that he felt. He turned his head towards the wall and held the towel out in approximately her direction. There was more sloshing about in the bath behind him and a wet hand tore the towel from his grasp.

"Thank you! You can look now," Donna told him after she had desperately tried to make the small towel cover the visible part of her body poking up above the bubbles. The trouble with hiding her modesty was that although the towel _did_ cover those parts, it quickly became soaked through and merely clung to every contour emphasising every part possible, leaving very little to the imagination. Fortunately, Donna didn't think about his aspect. She was glad that the cavalry had arrived.

The Doctor turned back towards the bath and Donna, and did a very good job of hiding his immediate shock. There was a problem to be solved, and he would allow that problem to distract him from the vision in front of him. Well, that's what he told himself. "What have you done, Donna?"

"What does it look like? I've joined the Grenadier Guards!"

"Why did you do that? Get stuck?"

"I thought I'd try the tap out as a fashion accessory! It was an accident, okay!"

"How did it happen?" he got out the brainy specs from his dressing gown pocket and examined the toe and tap.

"It leapt out and bit me! I was stopping the tap falling in the water,"

"Why would the tap fall in the water?"

"I don't know! Try asking it!" she glared at him. "It started to fall and I used my toe to push it back."

"Why did you use your toe?"

"'Cos for some reason I don't have an adjustable spanner on me and I can't for the life of me think why!"

His eyes flicked over her body as if he was searching for said adjustable spanner, and Donna felt her whole body blush.

He noticed the sudden strawberry flush to her skin. It went very well with the creamy complexion normally there. He brought his hand to the back of his neck as he felt the warmth of the bathroom start to overwhelm him. The dusky pink of the towel draped over her matched the strawberry flush perfectly, and he quickly pushed away a fantasy before it had a chance to fully form in his head. "Have you got any body lotion in here?" he asked.

"Bit of a weird time to worry about the condition of your skin, Spaceman, isn't it?"

"No! No, I mean… I could use body lotion to try and eke your toe out," he had his hands wrapped around her foot unconsciously rubbing his thumb up and down the insole of her foot. It tickled. She squirmed and let out another small yelp when her foot jerked and her toe stayed put.

"There should be some on the shelf above the sink," she grimaced slightly. "The bottle with Hand Lotion written in large letters."

"All right! No need to get sarky!"

"Well, it hurts and you're being stupid," she snapped back.

He glared back at her but thought better of saying anything for now. He pulled down the bottle of lotion and started to smooth the lotion up and around her toe. In any other circumstances, she would have found it erotic, but she was distracted away from such thoughts, almost totally distracted but bits broke through. She bit her lip in an attempt to stop a groan.

"Am I hurting you?" he tentatively asked.

"No. Not really. Is it working?"

"Dunno. Let's try… No, sorry," the toe didn't budge. "I could try fiddling with the pressure in the pipe via the overflow?"

"Do whatever it takes. I don't want to still be in here next Tuesday."

"Why? Got an important appointment then?"

"No, you prawn! I mean I don't want to be like this any longer than I have to!"

He smiled at her and surveyed the overflow pipe before starting to take his dressing gown off, revealing his naked chest and the towel wrapped around his waist.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Donna exclaimed. "Why are you undressing?"

"I'm taking my dressing gown off. What does it look like I'm doing? You don't want me to get wet sleeves do you?"

"I couldn't care less about your sleeves, Sunshine! It's the lack of…" she waved vaguely at his body, "cover I'm worried about!"

"You're worried I'm not insured? What the heck has that got to do with this? Are you planning on suing me or something?"

"No, dumbo! I mean… you're almost naked!"

He looked down. "Oh, so I am. Is that a problem?"

"It is from where I'm sitting… I mean lying," she suddenly became very conscious that she was lying naked, very naked, near someone else who was almost naked. "Why aren't you wearing more?"

"I'd just got out of the shower and I heard you scream. Would you rather I got completely dressed in future?"

"So you're planning on this happening again, are you?"

"Of course I'm not! Why would I want to…" his voice trailed off as his eyes dropped to her towel.

"How are you going to do it?"

"Do what? Oh, the pressure thing… I thought…" and he looked hastily around the bathroom for a suitable tool. "Is there a sink plunger in here?"

"You know, when I laid out the stuff I needed to have a bath a sink plunger never crossed my mind! I'll put one on my birthday list, shall I?"

If he had been looking at her face he would have thrown her a glare, but he was busy looking at her legs and answered with a distracted, "Yeah."

"What! Are you pushing your luck?" she threatened him.

"No. I was just wondering… oh yes!" he grabbed the flannel from the side of the bath and lunged into the water with it.

"Oi! Get your skinny butt out of my face! I can think of better sights I'd rather see!"

"Are you sure about that? I'm one of a kind me!"

"Yeah, I'm beginning to realise that, thanks!"

He made what some might class as an obscene gesture between her legs, using the flannel and his hand to apply and change the pressure within the pipe. Donna had a very up-close-and-personal view of the Doctor's bottom as he pumped the water pipe. Fortunately, his bottom was still wrapped in a skimpy towel, but Donna could appreciate the tone of his masculine legs. And she desperately tried not to think about his bottom moving up and down in an almost Chippendale fashion. All that was missing was the bow tie and the white cuffs.

Without realising it, Donna's hand drifted out and touched the Doctor's leg. He squeaked in surprise and her toe chose that moment to dislodge itself from the tap.

They looked into each other's eyes with a great deal of trepidation and guilt. Each looked away as they blushed furiously. It was as if it were a competition in who could be embarrassed the most. It would be easier if they pretended that hadn't happened.

"Well… I'd better… now you're free… do you want me to check you over?... erm… I'll go get dressed… see you…" the Doctor grabbed his dressing gown and bolted for the door.

Donna sat in the bath in stunned silence. How on earth was she going to be able to face him now? She was grateful to see that the TARDIS had replaced her towel with a clean, dry one on the radiator. She gave the TARDIS a 'thank you' pat and climbed out of the bath, standing a little awkwardly on her sore toe.

The voice of the Doctor from the other side of the bathroom door made her jump. "Are you alright, Donna?"

"Yeah! Just a bit sore round the toe," she answered back.

"Would you like me to…?"

"Would you like me to tell my granddad about this?"

"Good grief! No!"

"Well then! There's your answer!" she heard him chuckle as he walked away.

She looked at the offending tap and a thought struck her. Had the TARDIS done that on purpose? What was she playing at? It looked like things could get a bit more complicated round here.

She entered the console room some time later and saw some abandoned cups of tea lying about. "Are those cups ever likely to make it back to the kitchen in my lifetime?"

"May be," came the reply. Not quite the one she had been hoping for.

"If they don't I may be forced to kill you," she playfully threatened.

"Oh, I'd like to see you try," he smirked.

"Oh, I will, mate! Don't you worry!" Donna promised.

He chuckled. Good, they were back to normal.

"Erm… Donna… would you like to… that's if you've nothing better to do… maybe do something together later?" he stammered, though he was having problems looking at her.

Bugger! It looked like things weren't back to normal after all.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Warning:** One use of a mild swear word, and several references to foot rubs, lust.

**Summary:** Donna and the Doctor have a d- doing something together moment on a beach.

**Disclaimer:** I own the beach this is set on, but I do not own Donna, the Doctor or Doctor Who.

**A/N:** There ia fuller version of this on my website in which the introduction/lead in to this story was written, and beta-ed, by sykira.

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**Chapter 2 - Beachtime Blues**

The last few days had proven to be very interesting. Interesting in that 'I'm looking at the pattern on the table cloth and I can't bring myself to look at you instead in case you don't fancy me' sort of way.

Their d- doing something together time had been pleasant, very pleasant in fact. The Doctor had chosen a beach for them to visit, of all things, a beautiful deserted beach with wonderfully warm but not too hot weather. When you have such fair skin too much sunlight can have a devastating effect. Pity they had forgotten that then.

It had begun quite nicely; they had decided to walk along the shore making the most of the cooling water on their feet. Donna had worn a bikini beneath shorts and a top. Normally she wouldn't have donned a bikini but a swimming costume would have looked stupid underneath her outfit. The Doctor had ditched his usual suit for linen shorts and a cheesecloth shirt since he was feeling the heat in particular. Donna had stumbled on some loose sand, reaching out towards him, so he'd held onto her hand to make sure she didn't fall flat on her face. She smiled shyly, grateful for his help.

He had tried not to glance continuously at Donna's cleavage, but the sunlight had kept getting in his eyes and he needed the change of focus to stop sunstroke getting him. He had also kept a careful eye on her legs and her battered toe since he didn't want anything else to happen to her that he could avoid.

They had stopped to sit by an outcrop of rocks, and Donna had very kindly offered to share some sun cream with him; she'd even rubbed some in for him on the places he couldn't reach, like his back, his neck, his chest and his legs. He in turn had rubbed sun cream in for her where she'd let him. He was feeling _pretty_ fine!

"Do you think there's anything dangerous in the water?" she had asked him.

"There's bound to be something dangerous in there somewhere," he'd replied. She'd have to be a bit more specific than that.

"No, silly! I mean, if we were to go a little way in, would there be anything dangerous lurking nearby?" she tried again.

"Not to my knowledge. Though to be on the safe side I'll stay right by you, shall I?"

"Oh, would you? I'd feel _much_ safer then," she'd then giggled, laying a hand on his chest to emphasise her point.

He looked down and thought to ask, "How's your toe now?" He reached down to take hold of her foot lying on the sand near him, and started to rub along her insole again.

"I told you before, you prawn, that it's fine now. Stop tickling me! You've become obsessed!" she tried to pull away her foot again, but he resisted her actions and held on firmly.

"And I told you that it needs my very careful attention! I prescribe one of my patented foot rubs followed by one of my special massages." His long fingers moved further, up and along her calf, promising all sorts of things with his touch.

She howled with laughter. "Have you any idea how pervy that sounds? It's a good job no-one can hear you!"

The Doctor moved closer to her ear, and whispered "Ah! But that's the point, isn't it? Nobody can hear us."

As she looked into his darkened eyes, she almost believed that he would ravish her any second. Almost. Her breath quickened in anticipation as she told herself fervently to get a grip on herself.

In a vain attempt to change the tempo she looked around and asked him, "What made you choose this beach then? You don't normally manage to land on one."

"Ah! Well!" he faltered, "I didn't exactly bring us here. The TARDIS chose it."

"Did she?" Donna immediately loved the TARDIS even more. "Should I give her my requests directly in future instead of going through you?"

"Oi! That's not fair! I take us to good places," he protested.

"Good places to get pointy sticks poked at us, you mean!" she laughed at his pout, and stroked his knee to placate him. "I'm sure you mean to land in lovely places. Pity we rarely get to them!"

"Watch it you!" he threatened and grabbed hold of her to start tickling her torso mercilessly. She squirmed in a vain attempt to get away to somewhere safer on the sand.

"Stop it! Stop it! I surrender. You're a wonderful pilot, I'm sure" she breathed hesitantly as he stopped his attack and looked down at her beneath him. "Once you have a few more lessons!" and then proceeded to squeal as he resumed his tickling.

The trouble was that he desperately, _desperately_ wanted to do more than tickle her. For a start, he wanted to smooth his hands over the parts of her torso he'd been avoiding with his tickling. And then he suddenly had the thought that his desperation might be all _too_ evident. He sat up abruptly.

Donna looked at him concerned, "Has something bitten you, Doctor?" Perhaps his sonic screwdriver had jabbed him? It had got her a minute ago.

"Something seems to be affecting me… I think we ought to get something to eat, don't you?"

"Yeah, I'm starting to feel hungry," Donna agreed. "Shall I go and see what I can rustle up?" She took the opportunity to escape from their close proximity and headed back towards the TARDIS. It wasn't to escape his attentions, oh no, it was to answer the call of nature. He wasn't affecting her in the slightest. She just needed a breather that was all, from the heat, and stuff!

He looked at her disappearing figure with dismay. He had been so close and then he'd lost her. Perhaps he could try again later? Yes, that was it; he would try later when he could suggest some swimming or diving. Yep, he was a man with a plan. He picked himself up and followed her to the TARDIS.

The interior of the Tardis was wonderfully cool in comparison to the outside beach. He padded down to the kitchen to see if Donna was there, but she wasn't. Before he could even ask himself the question of where she was it was answered by a shriek from Donna's bedroom. He rushed into there to find Donna standing in front of her mirror examining her back. "What's up? Why did you yell?" he asked, deeply concerned something else had happened to her toe even though she wasn't looking at her foot.

"Look! Look at my skin!" she cried.

"Why? What's wrong with your skin?" he couldn't see what was wrong.

"It's… it's going green!" she wailed.

"Don't be daft! How can it… oh dear! Oh no!" he got up close to her and carefully examined her shoulders, back and chest.

"Do you think you could look up here for a minute? Or would you prefer to take a photograph?" she griped.

"You'd let me take… oh, I was just looking… it's very… green isn't your colour is it?" he stammered.

"No it isn't!" she pronounced very carefully. "And it looks like it isn't yours either!"

"You what? Oh no! It can't…" he hurriedly looked at his chest face and neck in the same mirror. "I look like I've escaped off an old Star Trek programme! All I need is the belly dancing outfit!"

Donna laughed, "I'd love to see you in that! Can I get evidence to show Martha?"

"Ha ha, Noble! You look this green too. I might make you wear that outfit too!"

"Oh yeah? Just you try, mate, 'cos it wouldn't be on for long!" she tried to threaten him, but the look on his face immediately made her realise she had worded that completely wrong. "Not that I would…"

"I could help you…" he started to run his hands from her shoulders, up and down her arms, "…remove any thing…"

'Oh God, he's going to kiss me!' Donna thought, as she felt her skin respond to his touch and she slightly leaned further towards him. His eyes travelled up and down her body. She was sure it was going to happen any moment now.

Then he accidentally stood on her toe. She let out a scream and just stopped herself from swearing at him in a most unladylike fashion. "I'm sorry! So sorry… let me try..." he made a vain attempt to rub her toe.

"Just leave me alone, will you? Go and put the kettle on or something! I'll sit here for a minute. Go on! Go!" she ordered him. She was very proud of the fact she hadn't swore at him.

"I… okay, I'll just… I'll be in the kitchen. You okay?" he could not have looked more crestfallen if he tried. Donna immediately felt guilty for making him take the brunt of her pain.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she tried to smile at him as he left her room.

She turned back to look in the mirror. Bugger! This was not what she would have planned.


	3. Chapter 3

**Warning:** Contains mild lust and brief nudity.

**Summary:** Donna and the Doctor have a d- doing something together moment in a shopping centre.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the shopping centre this is set in, Donna, the Doctor or Doctor Who.

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**Chapter 3 - Doing Shopping Together**

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"So…er… now that we're back to normal colour, do you fancy doing something together again, Donna?" the Doctor asked.

Donna knew she was about to disappoint the Doctor. "Could we go shopping today? Now, don't look at me like that! I need to buy a present for Mum."

"Alright, alright, just tell me where exactly you want to go," he agreed exasperatedly.

The new Olympic Stadium shopping centre was a dream come true for Donna. It had every single shopping retailer she loved all squished under one roof. Heaven! Well, it would have been if the Doctor wasn't moaning about being there. It had taken the promise of a chocolate sundae later to shut him up.

She allowed him to drag her into a gadget shop as compensation. It was while they were bent over an interesting example of German engineering (Donna assured the Doctor her mother wouldn't want it), that Donna heard some recognisable voices. "Donna! Is that you? OMG! You're looking well! And you're with someone." In front of them stood her friends Alice and Marie.

'Oh heck!' thought Donna as she put on her best smile. "Hello Alice! Hello Marie! Haven't seen you in ages! What are you doing here?"

The two women laughed. "We've come to blow Marie's latest wages on a hot dress," Alice informed her as they both eyed the Doctor up and down, liking what they saw. "What are you two doing?"

"Trying to buy Mum something she won't try to return later," Donna supplied, and all three laughed knowingly. "Oh! Alice, Marie, I don't think you've met the Doctor."

"Hello!" he grinned at them shaking their hands. Alice and Marie passed each other a look that said both '_A_ doctor!' and '_The_ Doctor!' They both turned to grin back at him, and Marie noticed that Donna eyed them with concern. 'This could be fun' Marie thought.

Marie moved slightly nearer to the Doctor, saying, "Why don't we join forces with you to find your mum's present? I'm sure we could come up with something."

Donna visibly bristled, much to Marie's delight, and said, "We wouldn't want to stop you dress shopping, and we need to buy the Doctor some swimming trunks," as she took his hand. His answering look was pure 'do we?', but he knew better than to contradict Donna in public; he'd learnt that lesson early on.

Marie noticed with some satisfaction that Donna had moved the Doctor further away. Marie admitted that she had a bit of a reputation for stealing boyfriends in the past, but she didn't always do that these days. She spoke directly to the Doctor, "So, how long have you two been together?"

He spluttered a little bit, "We'll have known each other two years this Christmas but…"

"…we're just good friends," Donna finished for him.

Alice and Marie were not convinced. Who was she kidding? The guy was practically drooling all over her! Oh how sweet! A bloke who remembered meeting anniversaries! 'Donna had bagged herself a good'un by the looks of it' both women thought.

Alice took pity on her "How about we meet up for coffee in, say, about an hour? Would that be long enough?" she looked between Marie and Donna.

Donna grabbed the chance of escaping from Marie, "Yeah, sure! Meet you up in the food court, alright?"

They all nodded, left the shop and said their good-byes. As they walked away, Marie whispered to Alice. "So, that's the infamous Doctor! No wonder she keeps him so well hidden. I think I'd keep him permanently in the wardrobe too!" and they giggled together.

The Doctor heard this, of course, and innocently asked Donna, "Why would you keep someone in the wardrobe?"

Donna looked at him as if he were having some sort of logic attack, "I have no idea what you are on about, or where that thought came from, Sunshine!"

He was about to explain when she started to drag him in the opposite direction to the two women, coincidentally towards a department store. "Are we buying me swimming trunks now then?" he asked her.

"Do you need swimming trunks?" she was totally puzzled.

"Well, you said…" he began. Donna knew it was going to be a long day.

"I know I did," she looked at him and an image of him in his skimpy towel flashed through her mind. Maybe he could do with some trunks after all. "I'll get Mum's thing first, then shall we have a look now we're here?"

"Okay," he replied. He was happy to walk hand in hand with her anywhere. He might even test out his powers of persuasion and get her to try on a swimsuit. Yep, he was beginning to warm to this shopping trip.

There was quite a good choice of swimwear, and Donna picked out a pair of navy swim shorts for him, not too skimpy but revealing enough. She led him to the changing rooms. As he undressed to try them on the curtain suddenly swished aside and Donna appeared, demanding "What? Why were you calling me?" He hastily moved to cover his modesty, but he wasn't quite quick enough. "OMG! You're naked! What the hell are you doing naked?"

He glared at her "I didn't call you; I was about to try on the swim shorts you picked out! What do you think I'm doing in here?"

"But, naked! You don't try them on naked! You put them on over your underwear. Somebody might see you!" Donna was exasperated, and, other things…

"And apparently they all have now! Shut the curtain!" to his surprise, Donna stepped inside and shut the curtain. "So, you don't remove underwear to try stuff on?" he blushed deeply.

"No, you prawn! Other people might want to try it on later. Oh! Sorry!" she brought her hand up in a vain attempt to cover her eyes as he tried to hide away. Well, she'd seen everything now but she had to pretend she hadn't. She fought hard to resist the urge to put her hands out and rub his back in sympathy.

"What do you think?" he asked shyly as he turned to face her wearing the swim shorts. They looked nice, very nice indeed. They showed his legs off to a tee. Donna smiled broadly at him. It was no good; she had to run her hands over his chest and arms. "Do they fit alright?" he asked her.

"They look…" Donna was finding it hard to think straight as she examined him, "great… really great. I think we have a winner." They smiled at each other deeply satisfied.

Donna's mobile phone rang urgently in her bag. She threw him a disgruntled look and answered it. The voice on the other end asked her where she was. "We're in Debenhams… Just have to pay for something then we'll come and meet you… Okay… Bye… See you," she turned to him and explained, "we've been summonsed!" and they both laughed.

She left him to get dressed, much to his relief; they paid for the swim shorts and headed upwards towards the food court. They arrived at virtually the same time as Marie and Alice. "Right then," the Doctor clapped his hands, "who wants a coffee or tea?" All three responded that they wanted coffee. Donna started to go with him to buy the coffees but her friends grabbed her arm and sat her down with them.

"Stay and talk to us Donna" they persuaded her. Donna was thankful she had thought to slip him some money before they reached the food court.

As they chatted Marie watched Donna. She could tell that Donna itched to go and help the Doctor, so she stood up and wandered over to him hoping that Donna was irked by the action. He was standing in the queue to pay for his tray of cups when she reached him. "Need some help with that," she almost purred as she sidled up to him. He smiled his thanks at her and, of course, was oblivious of her intentions. Feeling the need to up her game Marie walked her fingers up his lapel towards the buttons of his shirt. "I could make your day that little bit better."

His eyes narrowed as he took hold of her walking-fingers' wrist. "I'd say it was pretty good as it was thank you."

"Oh, I'm sure that's not true," she tried again, sure in the notion that Donna would be almost climbing out of her seat by now. "Donna won't mind, honest!"

He looked towards Donna to see her tight little face oozing agitation towards them, smiled briefly at her to reassure her, and turned back to Marie. "In that case, would you pick up some chocolate biscuits to go with our drinks," he beamed at her. He had a great deal of experience of dealing with obnoxious people, and Marie was small fry in comparison. But she was Donna's friend, so he had to be careful.

Marie tried to touch his arm on their way back to Alice and Donna, but he aborted her attempt by handing her a small packet of biscuits. "Here you are, ladies" he smiled as he placed their drinks in front of them. "Marie treated us to some biscuits."

"Oh, he'll be your friend for life now," Donna joked. "I enticed him with chocolate hobnobs."

"Nothing but the best!" he smiled at her. Marie felt decidedly crushed.

They sat and chatted some more, although Marie wasn't as animated as she was earlier. The Doctor sat and observed them with some interest, adding in the odd agreement with Donna. Alice thought he could not be more adorable.

After a while, they all stood up, saying their good-byes and promising to keep in touch. As Alice kissed Donna on the cheek Marie made a grab for the Doctor, but he halted her attempt by taking her hand and shaking it again. He shook Alice's hand too and than took hold of Donna's. "Take care you two," Alice laughed as she watched the scene play out. She had plenty of ammunition to tease Marie with later. "Come on Marie; let's see if we can bag one too!"

Donna had never been so relieved to see two friends walk away in her life! She watched them go then turned back to the Doctor, "Remind me again why I'm friends with them."

"I don't know! So that you can show me off to someone, perhaps?" he teased her.

"And why would I want to do that?" she smirked at him.

"If you don't it means you want to keep me all to yourself." He looked very pleased with himself.

"Yeah, you keep on believing that, and I'll stay here in the real world."

"Aw! Can't I stay here with you?" he pouted.

"Hmm… I might be persuaded with the aid of a packet of bourbons!" In fact, that idea appealed to her quite a lot.

"It's all about the biscuits with you, isn't it?" he chuckled.

"May be!" she laughed.

"How about," he murmured closer to her ear, "we go back to the TARDIS and see what we can find in the cupboard?"

"Talking about cupboards, what was that earlier about wardrobes?" she half-whispered back.

"Something I overheard that Marie was suggesting she'd do with me. What does that mean?" he clearly had no idea.

"I dunno, but we could always stand in the wardrobe and find out what the attraction would be." It could be fun, she reasoned.

"I hope we find Narnia. Or at least a small part of Paradise!" he waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"You know, sometimes you have some really good ideas!" she giggled.

"Don't I just," he confirmed.

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	4. Chapter 4

**Warning:** Contains scenes of a towel nature, and has a slight reference to "Ghosts of India".

**Summary:** Donna and the Doctor have a d- doing something together moment in the TARDIS.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything from Doctor Who in this story except maybe the towels.

**A/N:** This was written at the request of sczep84, with TARDIS naughtiness suggested by louiecat68.

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**Chapter 4 - Doing Nothing Together**

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What the heck…? It was as Donna turned off the shower that she heard the strange mechanical musical sound properly, coming from somewhere outside her room. At first she thought it was something the Doctor must be doing, but it sounded too good to be connected to him! Something about it urged her to seek it out, to explore and claim it for herself. She grabbed the nearest towel, wrapped it around her body, and dripped out of her bathroom to the main part of her bedroom. What was she thinking, sploshing water everywhere? The sound still called her from outside, egging her on. She cautiously opened her bedroom door, checked round the corner to see if anyone was there. Good! The coast was clear. She wrapped the towel more tightly around her and then walked out into the cooler corridor. She shivered, but still the sound called her on, pulling her with its chords and alluring rhythms, onwards towards the library. Donna had a moment of panic. What if the Doctor was in there? How would she explain her appearance in just a towel? As she thought this, the sound became more intense, overriding her uncertainties, lulling her into a calm mood, exciting her with unknown possibilities. If it did turn out this had something to do with him, she'd kill him! After she'd got dressed, obviously!

She excitedly pushed on the slightly open door to the library and stepped in, not really knowing what she expected to find in there, but she was certain that she had to look and see where the sound was coming from. Nope, no music source that she could see. She found nothing out of the ordinary except the fire in the grate was alight and the room was much more pleasantly warm than it normally was. Was the TARDIS playing about with her again? Donna hurried over to the fire to warm her cold skin, smiling gladly when the goosebumps on her arm and legs began to disappear. What was the TARDIS playing at? There was obviously some strange reason why the TARDIS wanted her in here, but for the life of her Donna couldn't see it. Perhaps this was some form of bonding between her and the TARDIS? Looking around the room gave her no clue as to where or why the sound was playing. Feeling that its intensity had diminished, Donna was about to leave the comfort of the library fire when the Doctor suddenly appeared in the doorway. Donna immediately felt her heart rate leap, from the shock, obviously, she told herself. He too looked mesmerised by something. What worried Donna even more was that the Doctor was also only clad in a towel, fresh from his morning shower, dripping water all over the carpet. She tried not to stare at his glistening skin, the way his hair laid flat against his head, his long lean legs… 'Stop looking woman!' she told herself.

"Oh! Donna! Sorry, didn't know you were in here," he blushed to the tips of his ears. "Only I heard a sound… sort of musical but…" He seemed to be having trouble gathering his thoughts judging by his expression, as he waved his hands about a bit before settling on scratching the back of his neck.

"I heard it too. Or something similar." She had moved towards him with her hands outstretched, smiling at him in relief. "It sort of… well… called to me is the best description I can come up with." She blushed too, furiously, when she noticed his eyes appraising her. She waved her hand about a bit in front her, pretending she was hot; which in no way covered the fact she had stepped towards him in doing so. Nuh uh.

"So we both heard something that called us here. Something musical, and mechanical?" he looked at Donna to see her nod confirmation of this description, "…that was loud enough to hear in the shower." He tried again not to look at her towel-clad form that also beckoned to him through all of his senses. But he couldn't stop himself from moving towards her, his need to be in close proximity undermining his need to avoid being slapped. "It's almost as if we heard some sort of Siren. But where could that come from? She wouldn't, would she?"

"Siren? As in loud 'get out of here' noises or weird Greek woman" Donna teasingly asked him.

He paused before answering, "Greek… the Greek one. From Homer's Iliad, where…"

Donna was directly in front of him now, easily within touching distance, virtually embracing distance; to the point that her shampoo and body soap fragrance filled his head. Her skin glowed, and he could feel the warmth emanating from her body. It was intoxicating, and he felt himself falling under her spell. If she had told him to die for the Queen he would have done so right there and then. Most of all he was drawn to her beautiful blue eyes that fluttered and shyly looked down, whilst periodically peering at him with such wonder he knew he would never want to look anywhere else again. Okay, curiosity would get the better of him and, of course, he'd have to look elsewhere, but if he could choose not to than he would.

Donna brought him out of his trance by asking, "What wouldn't she do?"

Rational thought had to fight its way to the surface for him to answer. "Who? Oh! The TARDIS… she might have deliberately called us into here using a Siren song."

Donna snorted. "But why would she do that? Why in the shower? And why lure us to the library?" Donna was puzzled and more than a bit cold now, especially since she had moved away from the fire to approach the Doctor. It had seemed a good idea at the time, when she had felt the need to be closer to him, to smell his skin and see the way the hair grew on his chest. For some reason it fascinated her. She couldn't figure out why she felt the need to run her hands over him. Her hands began to reach out towards him.

His eyes darkened as he regarded her. "The TARDIS obviously felt it necessary to bring us here partially covered to a room with a warm fire and leather sofas." He ran his hands over her shoulders to assess her skin temperature, and in readiness to comfort her should the need arise. "Does that worry you, Donna?"

She found herself lost in the depths of his soul as she replied, "I don't think so. No." In fact, she didn't think anything could worry her as long as he held her within his gaze. "But why catch us in our towels?"

The reason hit her as she saw his face blush again. The TARDIS was a minx at times. A matchmaking, and apparently frustrated minx. She felt his hands rub reassuringly on her shoulders, calming away any qualms she might have had. Giving in to temptation, she leant forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, bringing her head onto his chest, enjoying the feel of him beneath her. He ran his hands down her back to her waist and lowered his head to rest on top of hers. He chuckled low in his chest when she added, "Don't expect this sort of treatment everytime you have a shower."

They stayed there for several minutes before he spoke quietly into her hair. "I think we ought to go and get dressed now, don't you?"

Donna reluctantly pulled back from their embrace and said, "Yes, we should." But she was unable to tear her gaze away from his eyes. They seemed to be saying so much to her that she wondered if it were true. Nah, she didn't believe it for one second.

He moved his hand up from her waist to brush through a strand of her hair. "Are you alright?" he asked. She had never heard him speak so gently before.

"I'm always alright when I'm with you," she replied. 'Blimey! I've turned soppy' she thought. "I suppose I'd better… we'd better go and get dressed." This whole situation was beginning to feel surreal. Being nearly naked would do that to you, she supposed.

They smiled at each other and held hands as they left the library, heading towards their rooms, only letting go as they reached their destination.

As they stopped to say goodbye he caressed her cheek, saying, "I'll meet you in the kitchen later, and if you're good I'll bake you something nice." The thought of him managing to pull that little stunt off made them both grin widely.

Later, having got dressed, Donna considered their options now. The beach had turned them green, their shopping trip had given her some competition, the TARDIS had tried to embarrass them and now they were going to try again. She felt that they needed to get this sorted out before they visited her family; she needed certainty when facing her mother.

She sat on her bed and considered the invite in her hand. Her cousin Janice had invited them to a housewarming party. Was it worth the chance to have a proper date? Why not? They couldn't have constant bad luck, could they? Was the universe telling them to get together or separate? She really couldn't tell anymore.

"Donna! What you doing in there?" the Doctor called from outside her bedroom.

"Nothing much!" she shouted back. "You can come in." He appeared in the doorway, wearing his Snoopy apron. It had the slogan 'Kiss the cook' across the front. She smiled at him shyly despite her amusement. "Is that an order or an invitation?" she asked him as she gazed down at his front.

He briefly forgot he was wearing this apron and wondered why she was looking at his stomach, and if he had inadvertently sent her a body language message. "Oh that!" he exclaimed with relief, flapping his hands about with what he hoped was a dismissive air, "I hadn't thought…" He stopped to consider her demeanour. If he was correct, there was a little 'come on' happening here. He slowly walked towards her, his attention caught by her freshly applied lipstick that he'd love to smudge, and the way her eyes sparkled at him. "I'll let you chose shall I?" he offered his hand to her.

"What? You're expecting me to kiss your hand? What are you, the Pope?" she teased him laughingly.

"No, I… did you… the Pope?" he looked at her puzzled for a second, before grinning broadly at her. "Are you avoiding me, Donna Noble?"

"Bit hard to do that when you're standing in front of me flashing your pinny at me!" Donna retorted. "Are you intending to cook me or something?"

"Well, I'd like to make you very hot!" At her shocked expression, he backpedalled a bit. "Sorry! I didn't mean to… I thought we… I suck at this big time, don't I?"

She patted his arm reassuringly, "No, you're not doing too bad. Better than most blokes I know. It was just really surprising to hear you turn into a Carry On film character, that's all." His little grin began to return at her kind words, so she pushed on, "So… um… you suck, eh?" and laughed delightedly at _his_ shocked expression. This turned into a full-blown giggle attack, and she clung helplessly onto his arm as she tried to bring it under control. "It's no good! I can't talk that way with you!" she managed to get out as she wiped away some laughter tears.

"Is there anything you want me to fetch you?" he asked as he helped her sit upright again on the bed.

"How about Brad Pitt or Hugh Jackman?" Donna guffawed before dissolving onto the bed again in a fit of giggles.

He sat next to her hesitantly. "But, I thought… do you really want one of them?"

She gained enough control to look up at him from the bedspread, and saw his forlorn look and dejected posture. "Oh, Doctor! Why would I want them really? They only manage to be heroes in films, whereas you get to be the hero in real life." She squeezed his knee through his pinny and gave him her best smile.

He took hold of the hand resting on his knee, turned the palm upward and ran his fingers around her pulse point, tracing out some symbol probably in Gallifreyan. "Would you choose someone for their film-star looks or for being a hero?" he asked her whilst keeping his eyes on her wrist.

He looked up again at her face when she answered, "What makes you think they are the qualities I'm looking for in a man? I want someone to make me feel special. Someone who'd love _me_ and not who he thought I was." Knowing she had his full attention, Donna edged closer to him, bringing her other hand up to touch his chest. "Someone who has the heart to show love in little things, the important things," she brought her mouth closer to him, feeling his arms move to wrap around her as she cupped his cheek with her released hand.

"Would you like that someone to be me? Can it be me?" his dark eyes drank her in, flickering between her lips and her mesmerising, expressive eyes.

"Are you applying for the position?" she breathed against his ear, rubbing her nose along his jaw line.

"Only if I know I'm in with a chance." He murmured close to her tempting throat.

"You'll have to lose the apron; it's a bit of a passion killer up close." She informed him as she edged ever closer to his lips.

"My apron? Oh. Oh! I forgot!" he jerked back from their embrace looking stricken. "I came in to tell you… it'll be burnt to a cinder if I don't…" His look begged her forgiveness at this interruption. "I'll be back in a minute!" he called back as he raced out of her bedroom in the direction of the kitchen.

"That had better be some banana cake," Donna chuckled to herself.

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	5. Chapter 5

**Spoilers:** Includes characters referred to in "Ghosts of India".

**Summary:** Donna and the Doctor have a d- doing something together moment at a housewarming party.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything from Doctor Who, but I do own a garden chair.

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**Chapter 5 - Doing Nothing But Partying Together**

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It had taken very careful negotiations for the Doctor and Donna to agree that their next attempt at d-doing something together would be attending her cousin Janice's housewarming party. Donna argued that he needed to practise his general social skills, whereas the Doctor argued that he needed to avoid her family at all costs. Well, when he said her family, he really meant her mother. Donna totally sympathised. They decided that in the unlikely event of her mother bothering to drive all that way around the M25 it would be Donna's responsibility to deal with her mother's reaction, whatever that may be. They had also both agreed that it wasn't likely to be favourable. As for the rest of the family, Donna had high hopes.

As they opened the TARDIS doors, they were assaulted by glorious sunshine and the smell of beefburgers on a barbeque. It was one of those smells that both appealed and repelled at the same time. The Doctor tried to back away, so Donna grabbed his hand, pulled him forward, and out through the doors. It had taken all her powers of persuasion to get him to leave his overcoat behind earlier. They had parked the TARDIS just by the back gate of Janice's new home. It was a small garden, with an attached garage, but it was manageable for someone who worked all the week in London.

"Donna!" she was immediately greeted with a fierce hug from her cousin Janice before she stepped further towards the house. "I don't remember you arriving at the front door. How've you been?"

Donna extricated herself carefully from the hug and beamed at Janice, "Fine. I've been fine. How are you?"

"All the better for seeing you. Long time no see." Janice faltered slightly as she caught sight of the Doctor. "Oh! Sorry, didn't see you there for a minute. You must be the Doctor?" He nodded and went to shake her hand, but she thwarted that by grabbing him into a hug too. He blushed. "Aw! Look at that! I've embarrassed you! Sorry, love. Hasn't Donna warned you about me?"

"No, she hasn't said anything," he stammered. Did huggers need warnings now?

Janice took hold of Donna's left hand and held it up for inspection. "I see you still haven't made an honest woman of her."

"Janice!" Donna exclaimed, and the Doctor spluttered. "It isn't like that between us," Donna insisted.

Janice glanced between the two of them and said, "Yeah, I bet that's what you say to everyone." The way Donna and the Doctor were now holding hands made her smirk. "Don't mind me, Doctor; I'm just trying to make everyone as happy as I am."

"Talking of which, where is that gorgeous husband of yours?" Donna asked as she looked around the garden.

"I think he's inside dishing out cold fruit drinks in the kitchen. Who'd have thought I'd let a man stop me drinking alcohol?" Janice and Donna giggled together. The Doctor felt none the wiser. At his puzzled expression, Janice said to him, "She really has told you nothing, has she? He doesn't drink for religious reasons, whereas drinking _was_ my religion before I met him!" at which she and Donna giggled again. "Don't worry, he's very understanding about my needs, in both the meat and drink department. And even more understanding about my family!"

"Oi! Watch it you!" Donna playfully threatened her. "Though judging by your behaviour…" and dodged out of the way of a swat.

"Come on," Janice took hold of both of them, "let me give you both the grand tour, and introduce you to everyone." She led them into the house.

The Doctor was finding this family housewarming party a bewildering experience. It had been weird meeting most of Donna's family again; especially seeing their reaction when it was explained exactly where they had seen him last. Yeah, he was beginning to feel he would never live that wedding down. It was the knowing way they all said "Oh yes" as if he had deliberately replaced Lance in Donna's life, as if that had been his intention all along. Okay, his intention had been to get rid of Lance at one point on the day, but replacing Lance with himself had only occurred to him much later. Not that he had to justify himself to them or anything. But it still felt odd. And they all acted as though they knew something he didn't about this situation, something going unsaid. Janice had seemed friendly enough, maybe he could ask her later.

He stood munching on a samosa as Donna joined him by the entrance to the hallway, after talking animatedly with her aunt. "How many of those have you worked your way through, Spaceman?" she smiled at him.

"Erm…" he tried to talk past the last mouthful he had, "I've lost count."

"Lost count or lost the will to tell me?" she asked, moving closer.

"A bit of both. Why, are you keeping tabs on me? Would you like a bite?"

"I certainly have to keep an eye on you, don't I? And what exactly are you offering me a bite of?"

"You don't have to keep only your eyes on me, you know," he offered in sultry tones. "You can have a bite of anything I have to offer."

"Is that so?" she purred, as he nodded. "What would you recommend I… bite… first?" She began to wrap her hands around his neck as his hands moved to her waist.

He gulped as he watched her lick her lips, the need to claim them began to overwhelm him again. "How about we start with nibbles and work our way up to bites?" he dropped his gaze to her lips and brought his voice down lower.

"How will I even know where to start nibbling?" Donna leant in towards him further. "I might not like what I try."

"Then we could always have a small taster, just to see…" he began, as he brought his mouth near to hers. He felt Donna gasp a little as he slid his hands up her back to pull her closer still.

As her lips touched his, they both heard a loud, "Donna! How could you? And with _him_ of all people!"

They whirled apart to be faced a very angry Sylvia glaring at them from inside the front door, and a gleeful Wilf behind her. "Hello Mum!" Donna hesitantly tried. "I didn't know you were coming here."

"That's obvious, missy!" Sylvia almost spat at her.

"Aunt Sylvia! Granddad! How lovely to see you again," Janice chimed in at that moment, rescuing Donna from her mother's scorn. "Come out into the garden and have something to eat and drink."

Sylvia obviously wanted to stand there and continue berating Donna, but politeness overruled her anger, so she allowed herself to be led away. Wilf, however, lingered and took his chance to embrace Donna. "Hello my girl!" he beamed before he shook the Doctor's hand, "Hello Doctor!"

"Aw! Hello Gramps!" Donna replied. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming today."

"What? And miss the chance to see you and the family? Not on your nelly!" Wilf chuckled. "I need to get my latest update on what you two have been up to."

"What we've been doing?" Donna asked, as both she and the Doctor blushed profusely. How do you explain catching each other naked and pawing at each other whilst almost naked? No, that sort of thing was best unmentioned, especially to Gramps.

"Aye aye, like that is it?" Wilf winked at the pair of them, "Thought as much. Your mother spoke to one of your friends yesterday. Alice is it?"

"Oh God, no! What did she say?" Donna gasped and looked most agitated.

"I've no idea, but it was enough to make your mother drive all the way over here to the other side of London. What have I missed?" asked Wilf, as he scanned the pair of them in front of him. They weren't giving away a lot of clues though they still stood close to each other with clasped hands. "Did she spot you buying an engagement ring or something?"

"Course not! We only bought the Doctor swim shorts…" began Donna.

"I assure you, Wilf, if we ever get engaged you'll be the first to know," the Doctor pointedly told him. Wilf did note that there was not a denial of it ever happening though, compounded by the fact that Donna and the Doctor chose that moment to look at each other. A look that spoke fathoms, and made an old man very happy.

Wilf decided not to continue playing gooseberry, so he asked them, "Which way to the food then?"

Donna tore herself away from the Doctor long enough to tell him, "By the back door, Gramps. The Doctor recommends the samosas, if there's any left after he's been at them!"

"Oi! I didn't eat all of them… just most of them!" he defended himself, and they both laughed together.

Yeah, it was definitely better to leave them to it, Wilf decided, and headed towards the food with a "Right-o!" He glanced back to see the pair of them deep in conversation with each other, and idly wondered what Sylvia will make of this turn of events now. The fireworks might be better than Bonfire Night!

"Do you think we can escape back to the TARDIS before Sylvia sees us again?" the Doctor asked, hoping that Donna would agree to this plan but knowing she probably wouldn't.

"As if we'd ever get away with that one!" Donna scoffed. "You forget that she's sitting between us and home."

"I hadn't quite, but I was hoping you had." He contemplated her, "We could go out the front door and sneak round the back?"

Dona laughed, "I know you pretend to avoid confrontation but we'd still have to face her eventually."

"There is that! Maybe we should get this over and done with?" and with that he grabbed her hand more firmly and pulled her towards the garden.

"Hang on, Sunshine! There's being brave and there's being positively suicidal!" Donna tried to slow him down.

"And there's using the advantage of a family audience," the Doctor argued, placing a peck on her cheek. There was going to be nothing that would stop him now from confronting Sylvia and getting this out into the open.

Sylvia was sitting in a garden chair sipping orange juice and balancing a plate of salad on her lap. She was talking nineteen-to-the-dozen with Janice and her in-laws, enjoying herself enormously, when she spotted the Doctor with Donna charging his way through towards her. That determined look on his face didn't fool her! She just pursed her lips at the pair of them.

"Hello again, Sylvia," the Doctor began; making sure his audience was paying attention. "I thought you ought to know that your daughter and I are… what's that term you people use?... ah yes… going out together!" he finished with a verbal flourish, as if he expected applause or something. He then changed his gaze to steely as he looked directly at Sylvia.

Sylvia huffed. He'd done this deliberately, telling her in front of family so that she had to appear _pleased_ of all things. She summed up her cheesiest smile, "Oh! How lovely, Doctor! Welcome to the family."

The Doctor stepped towards her as if she might give him a hug, but thought better of it and shook her hand instead, much to her surprise. Wilf patted him on the shoulder, "Welcome lad!" and then turned to hug Donna again.

As soon as she sensed a happier turn in the atmosphere Janice jumped up out of her chair and proclaimed, "Time for some music to dance to, I think. Anyone got any suggestions?"

"Ooh! Yes!" her sister-in-law answered, and they went off to deal with the CD player.

Donna stood there as nonchalantly as possible, hanging onto the Doctor's hand whilst he chatted with Wilf about some constellation or other. She looked at her mother to judge her response to the Doctor's announcement. "You're still allowed to talk to me you know, Mum," she tried cheekily.

Sylvia's gaze flicked from the Doctor to Wilf and back to Donna, "I see I have no say in this. I'll have to like it or lump it!"

"Exactly!" Donna breathed a sigh of relief. "Come on, Mum, give us a chance."

Up beat music began to play from the lounge area, saving Sylvia from having to give an immediate reply. Several glasses of orange juice laced with brandy later, Sylvia was as talkative as ever and surprisingly mellow. Janice had made sure the brandy had been added for maximum effect. Still, Donna couldn't believe her ears when she heard Sylvia tell Janice's mother-in-law that she thought Donna was a wonderful daughter, and that she was going out with a charming man. A very sober Wilf watched with great amusement.

As the evening wore on, the Doctor finally got his chance to dance with Donna during a slow and sultry number. "How do you think this date has panned out, Doctor?" she asked him as he held her close with their arms wrapped around each other.

"If you had said we'd be doing this in front of your mother without her threatening me with that axe of hers I'd have laughed at you," he smiled. "What are you planning for an encore?"

She brought her lips up to whisper close to his ear, "I have a few bits of magic left, but I think we should at least offer to do the washing up for Janice first." And she giggled.

"You say the sexiest things!" he murmured before kissing her.

"Oi you two!" came the voice of Janice beside them. "Save something for later," and she winked at them.

"Janice, thanks for… erm… dealing with Mum. I couldn't have coped without you." Donna smiled warmly at her cousin.

"No sweat. I thought I'd have the same problem myself, remember? Can't have you missing out on the good things in life, can I?" Janice beamed at them fondly.

They bid everyone farewell soon after. It had been emotionally draining keep up the pleasantries with Sylvia, and Donna was now ready for bed. Ooh! Now there was a leading thought Donna realised as they snuck into the TARDIS.

"So, Spaceman, you finally managed to survive a domestic thing like a family party. Was it as bad as you expected?" she asked him as they entered the kitchen to make their ritual bedtime cup of tea.

He took the opportunity to grab hold of her again. This was beginning to be one of his favourite parts of this d-doing something together so far, and it promised to get even better in the near future. "Hmm, let me see. It wasn't _too_ heavy on the domestic, and the family bit turned out to be quite nice. I like your cousin Janice, a lot."

"Good job she didn't see you in your towel then! Might have turned her off you for life," she teased.

"As if it ever had that affect on you," he waggled his eyebrows at her. "Shall I go and put it on again to prove my point?"

"Ooh! Promises, promises!" she giggled, and pulled him down to kiss him.

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**A/N:** One more chapter to go in the D-doing something saga.


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